نَاحُوم 2

١ 1 قَدِ ٱرْتَفَعَتِ ٱلْمِقْمَعَةُ عَلَى وَجْهِكِ. ٱحْرُسِ ٱلْحِصْنَ. رَاقِبِ ٱلطَّرِيقَ. شَدِّدِ ٱلْحَقْوَيْنِ. مَكِّنِ ٱلْقُوَّةَ جِدًّا.

[You people of] [APO] Nineveh, your enemies are coming to attack you. [So] place guards on the tops of the walls around the city! Guard the roads [into the city]! Get ready to fight! Gather your troops/soldiers [MTY] together!

٢ 2 فَإِنَّ ٱلرَّبَّ يَرُدُّ عَظَمَةَ يَعْقُوبَ كَعَظَمَةِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، لِأَنَّ ٱلسَّالِبِينَ قَدْ سَلَبُوهُمْ وَأَتْلَفُوا قُضْبَانَ كُرُومِهِمْ.

Even though enemy soldiers have destroyed the descendants of [MTY] Jacob, Yahweh will cause them to be honored again. Israel is like a grapevine that has been ruined, but Israel will prosper again.

٣ 3 تُرْسُ أَبْطَالِهِ مُحَمَّرٌ. رِجَالُ ٱلْجَيْشِ قِرْمِزِيُّونَ. ٱلْمَرْكَبَاتُ بِنَارِ ٱلْفُولَاذِ فِي يَوْمِ إِعْدَادِهِ. وَٱلسَّرْوُ يَهْتَزُّ.

The shields of the enemy soldiers [who are coming to attack you] will shine red [as the sun shines on them], and they will wear bright red uniforms. The metal of their chariot [wheels] will flash when they line up [before the battle], and their soldiers will lift up their cypress/pine spears and wave them.

٤ 4 تَهِيجُ ٱلْمَرْكَبَاتُ فِي ٱلْأَزِقَّةِ. تَتَرَاكَضُ فِي ٱلسَّاحَاتِ. مَنْظَرُهَا كَمَصَابِيحَ. تَجْرِي كَٱلْبُرُوقِ.

Their chariots will dash through the streets [of Nineveh] and rush furiously through the plazas. Going as quick as lightning, they will resemble flaming torches.

٥ 5 يَذْكُرُ عُظَمَاءَهُ. يَتَعَثَّرُونَ فِي مَشْيِهِمْ. يُسْرِعُونَ إِلَى سُورِهَا، وَقَدْ أُقِيمَتِ ٱلْمِتْرَسَةُ.

[Meanwhile], your king will summon his officers who will stumble as they [try to] come [quickly]. They will dash to the [city] wall, holding their shields to protect themselves.

٦ 6 أَبْوَابُ ٱلْأَنْهَارِ ٱنْفَتَحَتْ، وَٱلْقَصْرُ قَدْ ذَابَ.

But, the gates [of the dams] on the rivers will be thrown open [by enemy soldiers], and [the flood will cause] the palace to collapse.

٧ 7 وَهُصَّبُ قَدِ ٱنْكَشَفَتْ. أُطْلِعَتْ. وَجَوَارِيهَا تَئِنُّ كَصَوْتِ ٱلْحَمَامِ ضَارِبَاتٍ عَلَى صُدُورِهِنَّ.

The queen will have her clothes stripped off her [by enemy soldiers], and her slave girls will moan like doves and beat their breasts [to show that they are very sad].

٨ 8 وَنِينَوَى كَبِرْكَةِ مَاءٍ مُنْذُ كَانَتْ، وَلَكِنَّهُمُ ٱلْآنَ هَارِبُونَ. «قِفُوا، قِفُوا!» وَلَا مُلْتَفِتٌ.

[The people will rush from] Nineveh like [SIM] water rushes from a broken dam. [The officials] will shout, “Stop! Stop!” but the people will not even look back [as they run away].

٩ 9 اِنْهَبُوا فِضَّةً. اِنْهَبُوا ذَهَبًا، فَلَا نِهَايَةَ لِلتُّحَفِ لِلْكَثْرَةِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَتَاعٍ شَهِيٍّ.

[The enemy attackers say to each other, ] “Seize the silver! Grab the gold! There is a huge amount of very valuable things in this city, more valuable things than anyone can count!”

١٠ 10 فَرَاغٌ وَخَلَاءٌ وَخَرَابٌ، وَقَلْبٌ ذَائِبٌ وَٱرْتِخَاءُ رُكَبٍ وَوَجَعٌ فِي كُلِّ حَقْوٍ. وَأَوْجُهُ جَمِيعِهِمْ تَجْمَعُ حُمْرَةً.

[Soon everything valuable in the city] will be seized or ruined. People will be trembling, with the result that they will not be able to fight. Their faces will all become pale.

١١ 11 أَيْنَ مَأْوَى ٱلْأُسُودِ وَمَرْعَى أَشْبَالِ ٱلْأُسُودِ؟ حَيْثُ يَمْشِي ٱلْأَسَدُ وَٱللَّبُوَةُ وَشِبْلُ ٱلْأَسَدِ، وَلَيْسَ مَنْ يُخَوِّفُ.

[After that happens, people will say, ] “What happened to [RHQ] that [great city of Nineveh]? [It was like] [MET] a den [full] of young lions, where the male and female lions lived and fed the young ones.

١٢ 12 ٱلْأَسَدُ ٱلْمُفْتَرِسُ لِحَاجةِ جِرَائِهِ، وَٱلْخَانِقُ لِأَجْلِ لَبُوَاتِهِ حَتَّى مَلَأَ مَغَارَاتِهِ فَرَائِسَ وَمَآوِيَهُ مُفْتَرَسَاتٍ.

[The soldiers in Nineveh were like] [MET] lions that killed or strangled [other animals] [and brought the meat] to their dens.”

١٣ 13 «هَا أَنَا عَلَيْكِ، يَقُولُ رَبُّ ٱلْجُنُودِ. فَأُحْرِقُ مَرْكَبَاتِكِ دُخَانًا، وَأَشْبَالُكِ يَأْكُلُهَا ٱلسَّيْفُ، وَأَقْطَعُ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَرَائِسَكِ، وَلَا يُسْمَعُ أَيْضًا صَوْتُ رُسُلُكِ».

The Commander of the armies of angels says [to the people of Nineveh], “I am opposed to you; I will cause your chariots to [be burned in fires and] go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed with swords. [Your soldiers] will never again conquer [other nations] and seize their valuable possessions. Your messengers will never again take messages [to other nations, demanding that their armies surrender to them].”